The Uncanny Dragonball Z!
by Piccolo's Love Slave
Summary: This is a CROSS-OVER story, folks. DRAGONBALL Z meets The X-MEN!!...well, a few from each group, that is!
1. Lightnin' Strikes!

A/N: All X-Men characters belong to Marvel comics are used without permission. All Dragonball Z characters belong to their rightful owners and are used also without permission. I just enjoy frolicking through their worlds...  
  
Lounging on the sofa, a bag of sour cream and onion chips open in one hand and a half-empty can of Coke in the other, the girl's dark brown eyes were glued to the television set where a colorful cast of characters were flying around bashing the crap out of each other and shooting fiery light from their hands at one another, crashing into mountains and making enormous craters in the earth.  
  
Laughing, she reached for the remote to turn up the volume, spilling some of the chips from the bag as she did so. A nearly empty box of tissues and a bottle of cough syrup sat on the coffee table in front of her. She sniffed, rubbed her red nose and thanked the gods above for inventing de- contestants.  
  
A few feet away in the kitchen, the beautiful flame haired woman sipped a cup of coffee with cream and sugar and winced as the television's volume cut into her head and seemed to shake the entire mansion. She knew it was only her imagination, and she knew shouldn't have drank so much on her and her husband's anniversary dinner...  
  
"What's the problem, Ma Chere?" She looked up as Remy LeBeau, otherwise known as Gambit, entered, yawing and unshaven, clad in a dark blue robe and hair mussed. She saw the lipstick smeared across his mouth and knew that he'd had a late night himself, "Ah, the petite bebe is sick today, no?"  
  
"Ugh, she's going to make me sick with those cartoons she's into..."  
  
"They're not cartoons, Jean," He corrected her, fixing himself a cup of coffee, black, "They're anime."  
  
"They're grating on my nerves is what they are," She retorted, sighing, rubbing her temple and trying to use her telekinetic powers to lessen the ache, "What is the one she's really into now, Dragon-something?"  
  
Shrugging, Gambit said; "Remy hasn't a clue, I could go ask..."  
  
"Ugh, don't bother..."  
  
Shoving dark locks out of her eyes, the teenager known as Jubilee played with her powers as she watched her favorite anime, making a small light show of colorful bubbles float off her fingers and snap out of sight as swiftly as she created more, careful not to make them so loud or so bright she couldn't see or hear the television.  
  
I wish there was a way I could go into the t.v. and meet them! She thought, realizing it was a childish little fantasy, but one she couldn't help entertaining every time she watched her favorite show. She sniffed and blew her nose again, crumpling up another tissue and tossing it behind her back. This would be a lot better if I wasn't so stuffed up...at least my head doesn't hurt anymore and my fever seems to be down...  
  
She'd had to stay in bed for three hours earlier waiting for her medication to bring her fever down so she could move out to the sofa in the den and watch t.v. Henry McCoy aka The Beast, their resident doctor and about the smartest...person...she knew, had absolutely forbidden her to leave her bed until her fever was down.  
  
She nearly missed her show!  
  
Thank god for modern medicine! She thought, coughing and holding her hand over her mouth.  
  
"Hey, Darlin'," Logan walked into the room, wincing as he did so at the volume of the television, "What'cha watching?"  
  
"Dragonball Z, Wolvie," She answered, not really looking at him, "Shh! I don't want to miss anything! This is my very favorite anime!"  
  
"Yeah, I know," He mumbled, "Tell everyone I've gone out for a while...need a bit o' the hair of the dog, ya'know...?"  
  
"Uh-huh, dog hair, got it." She nodded, not even realizing what he'd said, and Wolverine shook his head as he left. A few minutes later the sound of his motorcycle revving up could be heard over the volume of the television.  
  
During a commercial break, Jubilee looked outside and saw that even though it was late into the afternoon, the sky was dark with clouds. Rain had begun to fall and streaked the windows like a million tiny teardrops. She thought it was a perfect day to be sick, all yucky outside and everything.  
  
She knew Logan wouldn't have wanted to stay inside with her and watch t.v. He got restless really easily and rainy days were like torture to him. If he were anyone else she would worry about him being out on the road in this weather, what with the rain making the roads slick and all, but he had an amazing ability to heal from wounds that would kill a normal man...and Wolverine was anything but normal.  
  
Still, she could forgive him his wanderlust, after all, she loved him like a father and always would. He would always be there when she needed him and would give up his own life, if need be, to save her...she crossed her fingers and said a small prayer under her breath that that day would never arrive.  
  
Jean Grey-Summers, beautiful and poised no matter what the situation was, entered the den and sat down next to her. Smiling sweetly, she focused her mind upon the teenager, brushing a subtle suggestion against Jubilee's medicine-fuzzy mind until the girl reached over and touched the volume button on the remote.  
  
"Hey!" Jubilee cried, turning on Jean, "That's not fair!"  
  
"I just wanted you to turn the t.v. down a bit, Sweetie," Jean said, "I'm sorry, I had no right to do that..."  
  
"You could have just asked!" Jubilee said, rubbing her forehead, "It tickles when you do that, you know."  
  
"What tickles?" Rogue asked, standing in the doorway, dressed in her green and white tight spandex outfit that covered her from head to toe, including her hands, Gambit stood behind her, somewhat more put together, the tell- tale lipstick washed from his face.  
  
Jean knew that the lipstick did not belong to Rogue, or any of the X-Men women that she knew. She wondered if the ragin' Cajun had gone whoring again last night and stopped herself from peeking into his mind to sate her curiosity. She flushed as he caught her look and sent her one of his own, with a knowing wink to go along with it.  
  
Jubilee wasn't paying any attention to them. She was pushing the buttons on the television remote and holding it in front of the t.v. Growling much like her beloved Wolverine, she slammed it down upon the coffee table and got up to walk across the room.  
  
"What's wrong?" Came the low, sultry voice of the dark-skinned woman named Ororo, or Storm, "Why is the t.v. so loud?"  
  
"I'm trying to turn it down, Storm," Jubilee cried, "But the remote must need batteries or something..."  
  
"Is this weather your doing, Stormy?" Remy asked, teasingly. Storm shook her white hair, laughing.  
  
"No, I was meditating in my loft when I heard all the racket," She said, indicating Jubilee's favorite anime, "I thought the Sentinels were attacking us."  
  
Jubilee touched the volume button on the side of the television, but nothing happened. She was just about to turn around to complain to the others when she felt an odd tingling sensation, as if an electric current were running up and down her arms. She saw sparks rising off of her skin.  
  
Realizing what was about to happen, Storm ran over and grabbed the girl around the waist, meaning to pull her back from the television set, but just as her hand touched the girl's arm, a random lightening bolt crashed down and slammed the top of the t.v, bright light flashed and blinded them all for half a second. Smoke billowed up from the set and Jubilee's scream echoed all around them.  
  
Coughing, Gambit waved away the smoke, blinking back stinging tears. "Is everyone all right?"  
  
"Oh, my god!" Rogue cried, pointing a shaking finger at the area the television set used to be in, "They're...they're gone!"  
  
Instead of a smoldering television set, a dark hole, crackling all around as tiny lightning bolts zig-zagged like a frame around it, shimmered there, it seemed to be waiting, open like the black maw of a hungry creature, for someone brave enough to venture forth...  
  
"Shh!" Jean cried, stepping towards the odd...portal... "I...I can hear them!"  
  
"Storm! Jubilee!" Rogue cried, "Are they all right, Jean?"  
  
"I think so..." Jean said, "I...I'm not entirely sure, all I know is that I can still feel them...their minds, I mean..."  
  
"We have to go after them!" Gambit said, getting ready to jump through himself, but Rogue grabbed his arm with a gloved hand and pulled him away, "There must be some other way..."  
  
Meanwhile, outside, Logan had returned home after his bike suffered a flat a few blocks from the mansion and he jumped as the lightning crashed down upon the house. His first thought was Jubilee watching t.v.  
  
He let the bike lay where it fell and ran headlong through the front door, dripping wet as he jumped over furniture and made his way to the den just in time to see Rogue holding Gambit back from jumping through some kind of odd...hole...where the t.v. used to be.  
  
"What happened?" He asked, "I heard the...Jubilee?! Where's Jubilee?!"  
  
"Logan..." Jean approached him, reaching out to gently touch his leather- jacket-encased shoulder, "She and Storm...they were hit by lightning and something...something happened...they were sucked into some other dimension..."  
  
"Then what are we standin' around here for!?" He yelled, shoving Rogue and Gambit out of his way, "I don't care what you all decide to do, I'm goin' after them!"  
  
"Logan, wait!" Jean cried, "We don't know if..."  
  
It was too late, Wolverine had all ready gone through.  
  
"...it's safe..." She finished, shrugged and stepped forward, "Logan's right, no matter what, we have to try and get them back..."  
  
After she'd gone through, Rogue shrugged and flew through, Gambit at her heels, following close behind. 


	2. Jubilee's Arrival

"Are they still at it?" Bulma looked up towards the azure summer skies, lazy puffs of white clouds drifted back and forth, shoved by a slight breeze, shielding her blue eyes from the brightness of the afternoon sunlight. "They've been up there for hours, now!"  
  
Spread out on the slightly uneven ground, the grass naturally growing short and springy, a red and white checkered table clothe was laid out, a wicker basket with it's center opening double lid closed tight against insects.  
  
Chi Chi was sitting next to her, her long black hair hanging loose about her shoulders for once, holding a large-eyed infant in her arms, smiling down on him as he raised a pudgy little hand and tried to grab her nose.  
  
"Oh, they'll get hungry soon enough, Bulma," Chi Chi said, smiling down at the little boy, "You know, Trunks doesn't really look like either you or Vegeta..."  
  
Bulma glanced over at her friend and her son, grinning, "Well, I think he has his own look, which is just..."  
  
Suddenly, there came a flash of darkness, as if there were a total eclipse of the sun, then, as abruptly as it began, the darkness was gone, leaving both women blinking in confusion and little Trunks wailing in fear. Without thinking, only reacting, Bulma took her baby from her friend's arms and held him to her breast, rocking him gently.  
  
A moment later, both women's husbands landed, bruised and battered from their recent bout of sparring, at their sides. Goku stood with his head cocked slightly to one side, a dark eyebrow raised into his hairline, scratching the back of his neck in thought. "What was that?!" He voiced the one question all four of them had been thinking.  
  
"Someone attacking earth...again?" Vegeta sneered, standing next to Bulma, but not quite touching her, his son's annoying cries had changed to hiccups, though his saiyan ears still ached from the sound, "Kakkarot! Can you feel that!?"  
  
"Yes!" Goku cried, smiling, "Wow! Such power!" He flexed his muscles beneath his torn orange gi and added; "I'd sure like to test my strength against that!"  
  
"Oh, my god!" Chi Chi cried, pointing towards an outcropping of rock behind them, where, from the corner of her eye, she'd caught movement, "Look!"  
  
Coughing and stumbling forward, out of the shadows, holding her eyes against the over-bright afternoon light, a small girl with shoulder-length blue-black hair and an olive complexion that seemed a bit pale to Chi Chi, took a few steps before collapsing onto her hands and knees a few feet away from them.  
  
Chi Chi ran over to her and knelt down, lifting her chin up with one hand, looking into the young girl's dark eyes, frightened eyes, yet with a spark of defiance. "Who are you?" She asked, "Where did you come from? Are you hurt?"  
  
"Chi Chi!" Bulma cried, "Stop interrogating her! Can't you see she's been through something! Give her chance to catch her breath!"  
  
Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!  
  
Jubilee cried over and over inside her mind as her mouth only gaped stupidly at the people...the characters...of her favorite television anime show as they now stood around her wondering how she came to be there and if she were all right.  
  
She wanted to jump up and yell how so very totally cool this all was, but for some reason, maybe it was the shock of finding herself here, in the Dragonball Z world, of all places, her brain was having a difficult time sending messages to her mouth.  
  
"Can you talk, Sweetie?" Bulma tried, "My name is Bulma, what's yours?"  
  
"Maybe she doesn't speak our language." Vegeta cut in, peering down at Jubilee, glaring into her face with his own, "Hmm...I can feel a strong ki coming from her, but it's not the same as the ones I still feel...stronger..."  
  
"Yeah, your right, Vegeta!" Goku said, looking around, feeling the air around him, "It's coming from...from all around us...different directions and she was one of them!"  
  
"That means there's more than just her!" Chi Chi exclaimed, "Oh, Kami!"  
  
"M-my friends..." Finally Jubilee's tongue came unstuck, though her voice was quiet and harsh due to her sore throat, she rubbed her nose and sniffled, "They must be here too!"  
  
"So, you can speak!" Bulma said, smiling and helping the girl to feet, she looked to be Gohan's age, if a bit younger, "Can you tell us what happened? What's your name?"  
  
"J-Jubilee..." She answered, still not entirely believing what was happening, maybe she was passed out on the sofa back in the den at the mansion and this was just a very vivid fever dream...she had the sudden urge to pinch herself.  
  
"I...don't know what happened, really," She said as Bulma helped her back to their little picnic area and sat down next to her with the others on either side, Vegeta and Goku standing, "I was watching t.v. when suddenly there was, like, a flash of lightning! It hit the t.v. and me and the next thing I knew, I was...here."  
  
"A dimensional portal..." Bulma mused, almost to herself, "The lightning hitting the t.v. at just the right moment must have caused a rip in space and time..."  
  
"I have a little question..." Goku spoke up, looking down at them, "Is there a way to get her home again?"  
  
"I don't know, Goku," Bulma said, "Dimensional travel is tricky, it has to be done just right, at the exact time and place or...or...we could be sending her off into the dark ages or...kami forbid! into complete nothingness!"  
  
"Wait! Wait!" Jubilee cried, standing up suddenly, "What's all this talk about sending me home?! I just got here! I don't want to leave yet! Jeez!"  
  
"Well, you can't stay here, Dear," Chi Chi said, "Your mother must be worried sick about you..."  
  
"I...I don't have a mother..." Jubilee said softly, and then brightened, "But I have Wolvie! He's just about as good as real Dad!"  
  
"Wolvie?" Bulma asked, "Who..."  
  
"His real name is Logan and he's..." Before she could finish, vertigo seized her, her medication must be wearing off, and she sank to her knees, holding her head, "Ooh...I feel icky..."  
  
"Your burning up!" Chi Chi cried, touching the palm of her hand to Jubilee's brow, "We have to get this child inside and in bed right away!"  
  
"We can take her back to our place, Chi Chi," Goku said, swiftly lifting the girl up into his strong arms, holding her against his chest and jumping up into the air, "I'll take her, it'll be faster..."  
  
Jubilee wished she wasn't so sick, she'd really be enjoying this right about now...  
  
"Hang on, kiddo," Goku said, "We're almost home."  
  
Instead of answering, Jubilee wrapped her arms tighter about his neck and grinned secretly to herself, resisting the urge to plunge her face into clothing and drink in the scent of him, through her stuffed nose, just to make the realization that she was really here sink in all that much deeper into her denying brain... 


	3. Touch Not Lest Ye Be Touched

Standing up and brushing the dirt from his faded levis, Logan looked around slowly, animal keen senses alert and tingling, his body rigid and expectant...of what he wasn't exactly sure of. Something smelled...odd...to him, different.  
  
Well, He thought, as he made his way towards the scent, Can't just stand around here...Jubilee...and the others...they might need help...  
  
"W-where am ah?" His acute hearing picked up her voice as if she'd been walking right beside him, "What happened? W-who are you...?"  
  
"Rogue?" He cried, picking up his pace, "I'm comin' honey, hang on!"  
  
The short springy green grass had given way to oddly shaped brush and trees with twining branches that tended to snag and tear. Logan cut through the limbs and leaves with little effort, not even bothering to take out his claws, and burst through the clearing, breath feeling like fire in his chest, panting in fear...  
  
Rogue was there. Her uniform had been torn down one arm, leaving the creamy white skin of her upper arm from elbow to shoulder bare. She was facing a strange being who was green in hue and wore, Logan recognized, a dark purple gi, white turban and long, thick white cape with weights he assumed must be for strength training of some sort.  
  
The being was tall, much taller than either he or Rogue and he could see the muscle rippling beneath his clothing, testament to his physical strength. Not that he was worried about how strong the guy was, in that department, Rogue was a class by herself, but he noticed her bare skin right away and recognized the danger.  
  
"Are you injured?" The strange green...person...was asking, holding out one hand to her, Logan realized that he wasn't trying to attack her, he merely looked confused as Rogue shook her head, backing away in fear. He had no way of knowing that the fear in her eyes wasn't meant for herself, but rather, for him.  
  
"Don't touch her!" Logan cried, running forward, just as the stranger's hand was inches from Rogue's arms, flesh nearly touching flesh, "Hey, bub! Listen to the lady! Don't...!"  
  
Rogue screamed and fell to her knees as the green hand wrapped about her upper arm, flesh against flesh. A million emotions, deeds, personalities flew into her all at once, overwhelming her. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she felt her body overcome by the other being's strengths and weaknesses.  
  
"Nooooo!!" She howled, trying to pull away, "Let me go! Let me go...!"  
  
Pulling his hand away as if he'd been burned, Piccolo sank down, feeling his strength drained away, unexpectedly, when he touched the woman's arm. More than that, he had felt...her...inside his head, unbidden, pulling things from him that no one had ever been able to...  
  
She had seen things...he knew it, things he would have rather kept locked deep inside...  
  
"Hey, Bub," The man was saying, looking down at him, his brow wrinkled with concern, "Are you all right? I tried to warn ya..."  
  
"Oooh, L-Logan...?" Rogue was murmuring, rubbing her head, shivering, "Is...is he okay? Ah...Ah didn't take too much...did Ah...?"  
  
"Yeah, he'll live," Logan said, shaking his head, "He's just stunned, looks like. How'd your uniform get ripped, Darlin'?"  
  
"It caught on a branch, a very strong branch and tore as I jerked m' arm away," She answered, recovering, still getting use to having, yet another, personality, vying for attention within her head, "Do you know where we are, Logan?"  
  
"Not a damn clue, Rogue," He said, "The others are near, though, I can smell 'em..."  
  
"Yeah," Rogue nodded, "I can feel Jean, she's been...reaching..."  
  
Piccolo recovered, his ability at swift healing adding to said recovery and stood up once more. "Who are you people?" He asked, forcing himself not to avert his eyes as woman looked over at him, what had she done to him...?! "Where did you come from?"  
  
"We..." Logan started, but a unexpected scream interrupted him.  
  
"Oh ma god, Wolvie!" Rogue cried, jumping up and taking to the air, secretly happy that her ability to fly wasn't hampered by this...place, "That was Storm!"  
  
"Go, Rogue!" Logan yelled, running behind and beneath her on the ground, "I'll follow!"  
  
"Wait!" Piccolo yelled, launching himself into the air, catching up with Rogue, "Who are you?!"  
  
"Later!" Rogue cried, fear in her voice for the fate of her friend, "Our friend's in trouble!" 


	4. Misunderstandings

Storm didn't know what to think, much less what to do. Suddenly, she found herself in a completely alien environment, separated from Jubilee and anyone else she knew. Because she'd always done so, she used the winds currents to lift herself into the air and, the weather taking form of her frightened and confused emotions, a whirlwind began to spin about her with rain pouring down slantwise and lightning flashing, making her un-naturally pale hair seem to glow and shimmer from within.  
  
Her blue eyes widened and shimmered, the pupil and color around fading out as they began illuminated white orbs within the darkness of her features. She hugged herself and stood in the center of her self-created gale, unaware that she was being observed. She closed her eyes, her black cape flowing out behind her, whipping about in the wind, her hair tangling about her face, framing her face like white fire in the tempest.  
  
"What is she?!" Krillin whispered loudly to his friend, Gohan, his wife; 18, was holding their toddler daughter; Marron, (A/N: Since I can't recall which spelled their name Marron and which spelled it Maron, Krillin's daughter or Krillin's ex-girlfriend, I'll just spell Krillin and 18's kid's name with two Rs for this fan-fiction.) and standing a few feet away, trying to shield the child's face from the worst of the storm, holding her wrapped in a long overcoat.  
  
"I...don't know!" Gohan cried, holding his arm over his face as he looked up towards the strange woman, "But, her ki is amazing!"  
  
"Krillin!" 18 shouted to be heard, as lightning struck a nearby tree, making the little girl scream louder and cling to her mother's shoulders, "I have to get Marron out of here!"  
  
"She must be a new enemy!" Gohan cried, he launched himself into the air, the rain making his hair lay flat for once, his glasses fogging up, (he'd been reading before Storm had shown up, all of a sudden, out of the blue), he reached up and pulled them from his face and threw them down. "She must be! Look how strong she is! And just look what she'd doing!"  
  
Krillin turned to 18, "Take her home, hon, I think Gohan and I can handle this..."  
  
"Be careful!" 18 shouted above the storm and the wailing toddler, "I don't intend to raise this child all by myself, you know!"  
  
She left with Marron and Krillin flew up to help Gohan, who was facing the woman and demanding she stop what she was doing this instant! "Please!" Krillin added, "We don't know who you are, but if you don't stop you might hurt innocent people!"  
  
Storm didn't even hear them. She was deep inside herself now, trying to think of a way, after finding Jubilee of course, she didn't know anyone else was here, ( although she had felt something that felt a great deal like Jean reaching out mentally towards her...), to get home again.  
  
She wished Henry were with them. The Beast was good at dimensional travel and whatnot.  
  
"Distructo..." Krillin raised his hand above his head, a single glowing spinning disk appeared, "Disk..."  
  
"What are you doing?!" Gohan cried, he hadn't moved to attack the woman, was trying to get her attention to reason with her, perhaps she just needed help... "Are you crazy?! You could kill her with that!"  
  
"I don't think so, Gohan," Krillin said, the disk, created from his personal ki, still spinning on his hand above his head, waiting to be released towards it's intended target, "Can't you feel her power? I have a feeling all my little disk is gonna do is get her to wake up!..."  
  
About that time, Storm opened her eyes and realized what was happening. She saw the two men, one much shorter than anyone she knew, including Wolverine, the other a rather good-looking young man with a fit, muscular body with large dark eyes. Both men were dressed in similar clothing, she noticed. But, before she could think more on their clothing, she saw the spinning, dangerous-looking disk the shorter once looked as if he were about to launch in her general direction.  
  
Though it was completely unlike her, Storm screamed.  
  
Knowing he couldn't pull the ki back inside himself once it had taken weapon form without damaging himself, Krillin threw the disk...at an outcropping of nearby rock and a flash of light and explosion later it was over. Dust floated all around for a few moments and in that time, Storm called her wind and rain and lighting back so that the air was still once more. She floated gently to the earth and landed on two feet as soft as kitten paws.  
  
Just in time to see Rogue and a...different...looking alien being flying into range, followed on foot by, her eyes widened as the light blue color faded back into them, Logan...Wolverine! Without pausing to ask questions, Logan leapt into the air and grabbed Gohan's ankle, dragging him to the ground so fast the half-saiyan didn't even have time to react.  
  
"What did you do to her, Kid?!" He faced Gohan, looking up at him with a scowl, one fist curled around the front of Gohan's shirt, pulling him down to Logan's level, "Are you listenin' to me, Bub?"  
  
With his other hand, Logan was inches away from popping his claws, his arm trembled with the effort at holding himself in check. Gohan had never seen anyone with eyes so...so...feral. He felt completely taken by surprise and ill at ease to say the least!  
  
"Logan!" Rogue cried, recalling things she'd seen and felt during those few seconds when she and Piccolo, (Funny name, she thought to herself), had been as one, strange, she thought, It felt like Ah was part o' more'n just one person, too... "Don't...!"  
  
Crying out, Krillin flew at Logan's back and brought his leg up to swiftly kick him away from his friend. Feeling and smelling his attacker, Wolverine flipped to the side and launched his own series of attacks at a startled Krillin, who was taken by surprise, caught off guard.  
  
Krillin and Logan began to fight in earnest now, each one thinking they were the one fighting over rightness and justice...  
  
"Stop this!" Storm cried, trying to get the two men apart, "Stop!"  
  
Suddenly she felt an arm snake about her neck and jerk her down to the ground. She looked up to see a the light-haired features of a strikingly beautiful young woman glaring down at her. The arm about her neck also felt strikingly...strong and as she raised her arms to touch the other woman's skin, to send her an electric jolt to get her to release her, she realized it was getting more and more difficult to stay awake...  
  
"You started this!" She hissed into Storm's ear, (18 had left Marron with Videl, who was coming to speak with her friend, Gohan, whom everyone knew she had a huge crush on) and had come running back when she'd felt the storm dissipate as quickly as it had come.  
  
Rogue stepped behind her and said, her fists raised to chest-level, green eyes narrow, "Let her go, tramp, or thing's might get...ugly!"  
  
"R-Rogue..." Storm's whispered, as her holder let her go, and the world spun around her, coming swiftly back into focus, "Rogue, please! Leave her be...!"  
  
"No way, Ororo!" Rogue cried, "She was gonna hurt you!"  
  
"She didn't know, Rogue!" Storm said, turning to face them, "This has all been a horrible misunderstanding! We have to stop them..." She looked towards Logan and Gohan, "Before someone gets killed!"  
  
"No one..." 18 said slowly, anger flashing across her blue eyes, turning to face Rogue with a ready fist, "Calls me a tramp and gets away with it!"  
  
Shouting, 18 sent her fist flying towards Rogue's face... 


	5. Ceasefire

Before she could duck, 18 looked at her hand in confusion, it wouldn't move. Rogue used that moment to send a vicious kick to the blonde's mid- section. Well, that is, she would have if her body hadn't suddendly been frozen in place, unable to move. She looked, and from the side of her eye, caught Wolverine and the short bald one had been similarily frozen.  
  
"Stop this! All of you!" Jean Grey-Summer's voice rang through thier minds and ears. They turned to see her, floating a little bit off the ground, her flaming hair wild about her face with droplets of fire coursing along the strands here and there.  
  
Her arms were raised over her head, hands towards them, fingers splayed. The look on her face was a cross between annoyance and fear, "We aren't here to pick a fight, Wolverine! Rogue, you should know better! Let it be!"  
  
Wolverine retracted his claws, growled under his breath and turned away from Krillin. Rogue just ducked her head from Jean's pentrating gaze, the gaze of the phoneix, and backed away from 18, who still looked angry, but now annoyed as well.  
  
She stood with her hands on her hips, now that Jean had released them all, and looked up at her. "Who are you people?" She asked the question each of them had asked at one point or another, "Why are you here if not to try and take over the planet?"  
  
Storm laughed, a sound not unlike the ringing of church bells, the sound echoed and vibrated through everyone there, "Goddess!" She cried, "That was why you were about to attack me? You thought..."  
  
"Well, you gotta admit," Krillin said, smiling a bit, though still clearly nervous, "You put put on a pretty good show."  
  
"Oh, you mean this," She said, as she waved an arm towards the heaven's, lightning, small and far enough away not to hurt anyone, crashed against the afternoon sky, "This is just my power, I'm a mutant, as are the rest of my companions, each of was born with a certain power, mine is control of the elements. Sometimes the weather reflects my emotions. I swear I didn't even know you were here, I was so caught up inside myself."  
  
"Then, I guess this had been a big misunderstanding," Krillin said, and held his hand out to the dark skinned white haired beauty. He caught his wife's look of displeasure and snatched his hand back the moment it touched Storm's.  
  
"Heh, heh, sorry, dear..." He flushed and backed away from her angry ice blue eyes.  
  
Sighing 18 turned towards Jean once more, "Even though I am still angry, my good-natured husband has the right idea. My name is Android 18, though most people just call me 18."  
  
Jean smiled and floated towards the ground, her feet landly lightly on the earth. She looked at 18, reached out and touched the skin upon her face with her fingers, barely grazing her cheek. 18 didn't flinch but waited until Jean was finished with whatever it was she was doing.  
  
"I'm sorry..." Jean said, pulling her hand back, "I was just curious...about and android mind...you seem so much like..."  
  
"A human?" 18 said, "Well, I never said I wasn't. I'm merely of a different...race..."  
  
"Much like mutants," Jean said, smiling, "Yes, it makes since. I'm Jean Grey-Summers, but most people just call me Jean."  
  
18 nodded and they turned to see how the others were coming along. Wolverine had turned around and decided to put his feelings aside, he'd been looking forward to a good scrap, and introduced himself to Piccolo and the others.  
  
Rogue turned to Piccolo, who'd been watching things from the sidelines but with a look that said he'd be more than willing to jump in if things got ugly. "Ah...want to apologize for...for what happened earlier..."  
  
"It...was...odd..." Piccolo said, with a nod that meant he'd accepted her apology, "How did you...?"  
  
"You heard Ororo...Storm...talking about mutant powers and all?" She asked, and went on before he could answer, "Well, I aborb other's powers and personalities and strength via touch. It's not something that I can control, so normally I were clothing that would prevent such an accident..."  
  
Piccolo nodded, he's as much as guessed that was what had happened.  
  
"Oh, by the way, ma name is Rogue," She held out her hand to him. Piccolo looked at it and back up to her face, not sure... "Don't worry," She waved her hands, "I'm wearing gloves, only skin to skin contact triggers ma power..."  
  
"Piccolo," Piccolo said, even though he knew she had all ready gathered that much, taking her hand briefly, "How did you...people...get here?"  
  
"Well," Rogue slipped her hand from his, "That is something Ah'm not entirely sure of, Sugah..."  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Goodness!" Chi Chi cried in a whisper as Goku tucked the girl into Gohan's old bed, "I can't believe she'd been running about with that high of a tempature!"  
  
"Chi Chi," Bulma said, sitting next to the bed in a chair she'd pulled up from the computer desk in the corner, "Would you get a bowl of cold water and some rags...I want to try and bring this fever down. We can give her..."  
  
"A senzu bean!" Goku piped up, smiling at what, to him, was the perfect solution. He wasn't sure why he didn't think of it sooner...  
  
"No, Goku," Bulma whispered, "We don't have any left, you and Vegeta took the last two when you were fighting each other in the anti-gravity room last week. I was going to say 'a tylonal later when she wakes up' for her headache.  
  
"Oh," Goku said, as Chi Chi brushed past him toward the kitchen. She returned a moment later with a wooden bowl and four small towels, handing them to Bulma. "Gosh, I just hate to see anyone so sick..."  
  
Bulma gave Chi Chi a look at read; "Can you get your husband out of here, for crying out loud!"  
  
"Goku, Dear," Chi Chi said, "I bet your hungry, it's only been fifteen minutes since you ate last, after all..."  
  
Before she could finish, he was all ready sitting at the kitchen table, waiting. Sighing, Chi Chi left to feed her husband. Bulma turned towards Jubilee, dipping one of the rags into the water and ringing it out before running it along the girl's brow. Jubilee moved in her sleep, the corners of her lips turning up in relief. As she tended to her, she felt a presence behind her.  
  
"How is she?" Vegeta walked into the room, holding Trunks, looking down at Jubilee, whose ki was considerable for one so young.  
  
"She has a very high fever and I was just wondering where she came from...look, she'd not even wearing shoes and, I didn't notice this before, but she's not even dressed!"  
  
"What are you talking about, Woman?" Vegeta asked, peering down at Jubilee, "She's covered..."  
  
"No, not that!" Bulma said softly, "She's dressed for sleep, see? Why would she be outside away from home dressed for bed? And as sick as she is? I have to believe she was telling the truth earlier..."  
  
"About coming from another dimension?" Vegeta asked, "I know that's possible, but didn't we agree that it was probably just her sickness talking? Hallucinations?"  
  
"I changed my mind, Vegeta," Bulma said in a tone that meant; just leave it at that, "I believe she's from another dimension...I believe it was an accident how she came to be here..."  
  
"Well, your the genius around here," He said, walking with thier son towards the door, "Figure a way to get her home."  
  
"Don't you think that's what I've been trying to do..." Bulma said, but Vegeta was all ready gone and did not hear. "But, not until she'd well..."  
  
Jubilee moaned and turned her head in her sleep, her eyes moving beneath thier lids, "S-Storm...Rogue..." She muttered, "W-Wolvie...Jean..."  
  
"Shh..." Bulma dipped the rag into the water, rung it out once more and smoothed the coolness across the child's forhead once more, "Shhh..." 


	6. Rivals

Jubilee heard voices, muffled and distance, as she slowly began to awaken. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she looked around, (noticing right away that she tucked into bed, for a moment she thought she was back at the mansion and everything that had happened...meeting those anime character...she smiled...was all a weird dream), saw the table next to the bed and the wooden bowl filled with water, wet washclothes beside it.  
  
She realized that she wasn't in her room in Xavier's school after all, that what she'd just experienced had not, in face, been just a fever dream. She reached up to touch her head, the fever was gone but her head still ached.  
  
Her nose was stuffed up horribly and she looked around for something to use as a kleenex. She spotted a box on the table behind the bowl of water and pulled a few tissues from it, blowing her noise loudly.  
  
"Hey, Petite Bebe," Gambit was in the doorway, shuffling a deck of cards, not his regular deck, she noticed, smiling at her, "How are you this morning?"  
  
"Good, I guess," She said, trying to stand and suffering vertigo, she had to grab the side of the bed to keep from toppling over, "If I could just get my balance..." She laughed, "Where are the others?"  
  
"In the livingroom, Bebe," Remy said, walking over and helping her back to the bed, "Are you hungry?"  
  
"I don't know," She said, it was true, she didn't. She looked down at her stomach and shrugged, looking back at Remy, "Maybe. Are they okay? Are you okay?"  
  
"Everyone is fine, Jubilee," Remy said, "There was a little problem at first...from what Jean told me...but everything is fine now. I'll go get you something to eat. One of Gambit's cajun specials, that ought to kick that flu outta your system, no?"  
  
"Remy! Wait!" She called, as he turned toward the door, "I want...can you send Wolvie in, please?"  
  
"Sure I will," He smiled and left her. Jubilee waited, her stomach starting to rumble now as if it were only waiting for an aknowlegement to begin complaining. A few moments later, Logan was at her bedside.  
  
"How are ya feelin', Darlin'?" He asked, his voice rough, but tender, he smoothed the dark hair off her forehead, "Yer not hot anymore, I guess that means your gettin' better."  
  
"She broke into a sweat late last night, Logan-san," Chi Chi appeared in the doorway, "After Bulma and Vegeta went home with thier son. After that, well, it was just a matter of keeping it down."  
  
Standing, Logan bowed in front of Chi Chi, "I...don't know how to thank you for...for taking care of her."  
  
"If any of my children were far from home and sick," Chi Chi replied, "I'd want someone to come along and take care of them."  
  
"Hey, what's this?" Gohan asked, peering through the doorway, smiling when he saw Jubilee was awake, "Jubilee, your awake! That's great! You were out for a long time!"  
  
"H-how long?" Jubilee asked, dreading the answer, suddenly realizing her bladder felt extremely full, "Wolvie?"  
  
"About two days, give or take a few hours, kiddo," Logan said, "Cajun's gettin' you some grub so you can build up your strength and fight the rest o' this sickness off."  
  
~*~*~  
  
In two very different parts of the universe, in two very different dimensions, two very different men sit alone.  
  
His silver hair free of the helm, the man known to his few and far between friends as Eric, and Magneto to everyone else, stands at his open picture window gazing down upon New York city spread out and below him. Lights from the buildings twinkling against the night like a million diamonds against the smog-filled night.  
  
His crimson cloak blows against him in the wind as his grey-blue eyes trail towards the massive statue in the island farther out from the mainland. A statue whose very existance was meant to represent tolerance and peace, a welcome to those persons of other countries, other races, color, creed.  
  
He narrowed his eyes, fists clenching at his sides. What a jest! He thought, thinking of all those mutants who had been persecuted and killed for the crime of just being born differently, Raising his hands; the metal upon the window latch shivered, moved to the side and the window slung down, closing with a loud thumping sound.  
  
Magneto wasn't worried, his window glass was always shatterproof. Just as he was turning, one of his lackies, Serice was her name, a pretty young mutant he'd brought into his charge some eight months ago, came rushing into the room.  
  
"Sir! Forgive me, sir..." She gasped for breath, holding a stack of papers in her arms, "But, you really need to see this, sir!"  
  
"Set them on my desk, Serice," He said, nodding at her, arms folded across his chest, "Thank you."  
  
Nervously, she lifted her hand, then noticed the window and an inner fear seized her and she lowered it, turning towards the door to leave. Magneto stopped her with a raised hand, all the metal in her clothing freezing her in place due to his power. "Serice, come here."  
  
Timidly, the girl, who had large blue-green eyes and cropped blue-black hair, she could pass for human if she wished, he thought, his throat tightening at such beauty, but alas, she was old enough to be his great- granddaughter and such...romantic...notions were obsence.  
  
"Why did you stay your power just now, dear one?" He asked, cocking one silver brow, "You were about to teleport out, were you not?"  
  
She bit her bottom lip, nodding and glancing quickly towards the window, "Y- yes sir..."  
  
"Ah, I see," He said, looking towards the window, "The fear of being seen by humans while using your god-given abilities frightens you...Serice!"  
  
He said, his tone suddenly angery as he turned to her, grabbed her face between gloved fingers and forced her to look at him, "Never be afraid to use your powers in my presence, Never be ashamed of who you are; A mutant! One day, you know, we shall take our place as leaders of his world!"  
  
She nodded, she had heard such talk before, but the humans, those without mutant power, were so many...she wondered if there would ever be enough of her kind to battle them and win. "I...I am sorry, sir..."  
  
Stroking her cheek, Magneto smiled, "No, Dear one, you don't need to be sorry for anything."  
  
She swallowed and he let her go, turning from her towards the window once more, "Go now, leave me in peace."  
  
"With a flick of her wrist a cold flame enveloped her body, swiftly she disapaited into nothingness, leaving behind the slight scent of lilacs in summer. Magento inhaled sharply, he had gotten used to that smell and enjoyed it quite a bit.  
  
He turned from the window and walked to the large oak desk set in the corner of the room, not bothering to sit down, he lifted the first sheet of white paper from the pile and scanned the contents upon it, his brows going up as he read, a smile spreading across his distiguished features.  
  
"So," He said to himself, "It seems my old friend has...lost...some of his students, how unfortunate..."  
  
He was glad that the expenisive spy equiptment and those persons he'd hired to act in such a manner, had paid off. He spent the rest of the evening reading the report, finally ending the last page which came with a selection of photos paperclipped to the back of the pile.  
  
Gazing at one particarly photo, the lightning striking the television set, the cartoon upon it's screen seemed of little import. He looked at another and saw a portal begining to open, the next showed the portal had grown bigger and...he gasped...seemed to be coming from the animated background of the cartoon upon the screen, he thought he even saw gravel and dust being moved.  
  
The next photo showed the televison completely gone, exploded and a gaping back hole with what seemed to be the cartoon background beyond.  
  
"But, that's crazy!" He said, shaking his head, rubbing his temples, it had gotten light out and the early morning light seemed to lend a sort of surrealness to the surroundings, "How can one be transported into an animation?"  
  
He reached into his desk drawer and brought out a magnefying glass, bringing it to the photo, leaning down to study the picture closer. Making a split decision, he pushed the buzzer upon his desk and in moments, Serice, looking like she just woke up, teleported into the room, the scent of lilacs accompanying her.  
  
"Serice, sorry to wake you at such an ungodly hour," He said by way of greeting, "But, I wish you to begin research on this...animated series, come take a closer look."  
  
Serice walked over to his desk, where he held out a photo, adjusting the desk-lamp so she could see better. Squinting at the picture, Serice smiled slightly and handed it back. "It's called Dragonball Z, sir." She said, still smiling, "My nephew, Andrew, watches it."  
  
"Find out all you can about it and report back to me." Magneto ordered, turning his back on her.  
  
"But, Sir," Serice said, "It's a car..."  
  
"Now, Serice!"  
  
"Y-yes sir!"  
  
The scent of lilacs filled the room, along with a very powerful aura of fear. Magneto smiled.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Professor Charles Xavier, founder of the "Xavier Insitute for Gifted Children", also father in a more than symoblic way to the group of renegade fighters for peace of justice known as the "X-Men", and a very skilled telepath, one of the most powerful in the world, sat in the large odd- looking chair, wires cris-crossing from all angles from the helmet completely hiding his face.  
  
The helmet had been designed and created for the sole purpose of locating other mutant lifeforms in the world. He knew his students were missing. He had felt it the day they'd disapeared, but when he'd wheeled his chair up to the door, peering into the room of the den, all he'd found was a smoldering area in front of the sofa where the televison set used to be.  
  
He was trying to use the helmet's inner computer and tracking device, as it inhances his own telepathic powers, to locate his missing students. So far, he'd been met with disapointment. Frustrated, he reached up and removed the helm, turning his hoverchair around and exiting the room. His head was aching and he was in need of a hot cup of tea to loosen his nerves.  
  
Just as he was rounding the corner to his office, a gaggle of reporters, armed with microphones and notepads blocked his path. A pretty young woman with curling blonde hair and light blue eyes blurted out; "Proffessor Xavier! Proffessor Xavier! Is it true that a handful of your students have been kidnapped by Magento?"  
  
"That's completely untrue and ridicious!" He barked, "Please, let me pass, I have no comment for your questions at this time."  
  
** A better story is in the making just three blocks away, a large fire in an apartment building with a public official...** Charles cleverly placed the thought into the reporter's and her comrades minds, making them all believe the thought was thier own to begin with and watched as they all ran down the hall and out the front door. He turned his hoverchair towards this office, needing a break to regain his thoughts, trying to figure out what to do next...  
  
** Proffessor!** The voice in his head was strong and familar, only one being he knew had such telepathic powers, ** Proffessor! **  
  
"Jean!" He gasped, holding his head, talking aloud and sending his thought out at the same time, trying to reach her, ** Jean! Where are you? Where are the others!?**  
  
She was in the bathroom, sitting on the lowered toliet seat, it was a very crude place to be for a little privacy, but she didn't want to be disturbed and the door had a lock on it. Not that she couldn't have just used her powers to keep the door from opening, but she needed all her strength and abilities to try and reach Proffessor X...if she could. She'd been trying to reach him ever since they had been brought to this place...Goku and Chi Chi's home, those nice people who had taken care of Jubilee...  
  
Her red hair falling over her face, her hands and face sweating with consentration, Jean nearly yelled aloud when she finally felt the tiny flicker in her mind that told her she'd been successful. ** Proffessor, please listen! We're trapped in other dimension! An anime...cartoon series...Dragonball Z...Proffessor...Proffessor! **  
  
She pounded her fist on her thigh, tears coming to her eyes, she'd gotten through to him, but lost him once more. The range was just too far...too much strain...She felt as weak as a newborn kitten and sunk to the floor, her head atop the cold porcelain toliet seat, weeping in aggravation.  
  
Charles cursed under his breath, What was she talking about? He wondered, Trapped? Dragonball Z? He shook his head, rubbing the area between his brows, it made little sence... 


	7. Enemy

Serice Jacobson sat at her keyboard gazing at a brightly lit monitor in front of her. Her eyes were tired from reading and she longed for her bed. Glancing sideways at it, she was once more reminded that it remained un-slept in. But, she would not rest until she had every scrap of information for him...for Magneto. 

Her eyes lightened slightly and the corners of her pretty mouth turned up at the sides. He had saved her, saved everyone who was a mutant and did not wish to live by human laws, human standards. All those who eventually either came to Charles Xavier trying to believe that a world of dandilions and candycorn and peace among the non-muntants could be possible or those who saw the reality of the situation and came to Magneto...with eyes wide open. 

For that, Serice would always be grateful. She would always do her best to make him proud of her. She owed him that much, at least. So, turning her eyes away from her inner thoughts and back to the task at hand, Serice focused on the computer's screen and what it beheld for her. 

An hour or so later, she teleported across the hallway and a series of teleportations later, she was standing before him once more, a wide smile spread across her face and twinkling in her blue eyes. "Sir," She began, "I have the information..." 

"Fine, fine, Serice," He turned around, striding towards her and holding out his hand where she placed a file, a rather thick file, upon his open palm. She turned to go, but Magneto stopped her, "No, don't leave just yet, my dear," He said, "Sit, stay. I'll only be a minute reading this..." 

Serice took a seat across from his desk, hands folded serenely in her lap, though she could not still their slight trembling. Trembling of excitment rather than fear. What Magneto held in his hands, the information therein, was every mutant in exsistance's chance at a finally taking thier rightful place as the master race of the entire universe. She could not help it if she felt like a child on the night before Christmas day. 

"Ah..." Magneto said at last, laying the file and it's contents upon his desk, "I see." 

"The dragonballs, sir..." She began, hardly able to control her excitment, "Did you read about the..." 

"Yes, Serice, I did," He said, turning away from her to look out the window once more, "What a power they are said to hold...if I..we...could get our hands on them..." He turned around and faced her, locking eyes with her, smiling coldly...yet with a passion so hot she nearly felt it like the blast of heat from an open furnace, scorning with it's intensity; 

"At last, at last we shall awaken from a horrid state of darkness into the brightest, purest light...at last we shall take that which was ours from the begining!" 

Serice smiled. At last. 

~*~*~

There was a knock on the door. In fact, someone had been knocking on the door for the past hour and a half. Jean was standing in front of the sink, looking at her face in the mirror. She looked pale and drawn, her skin looked un-naturally tight about the bones of her face and her hair...well, her hair needed a good shampooing like nothing else. 

"Jean?" She heard Logan, had felt his mind and presence before he'd even said a word, "Are you all right?" 

"Umm...I...I don't know," She answered, reaching over and unlocking the door, "I think...I think there's going to be trouble..." 

Before she could say another word, she dropped into Logan's arms, unable to keep her self on her feet any longer, she felt so...tired. 

"Jean!" Logan cried, "Jean, what is it? Talk to me!" 

"L-Logan..." She gasped, fighting the weariness as best she could, "I..I saw..felt...Magneto..." 

"What?!" Logan cried, carrying her out of the bathroom and into the livingroom, he laid her down on the sofa, "What are you talking about?" 

"Magneto...has found out...about...this place and..." She paused, reaching for breathe, reaching for strength, "The...the dragonballs..." 

"Dragonballs?!" Logan cried, "What are you...what's that soppose to mean?! Jean!" 

"Hey!" Logan looked up to see a sight, he blinked his dark eyes a few times to be sure he wasn't dreaming. He thought he'd smelled...something...female but had ignored it to deal with Jean. Now a blue haired beauty stood before him, hands on her hips, glaring, "Leave her alone! Can't you see she's not in a very talkative mood?" 

"You must be Bulma," Logan said, as he laid an afgan across Jean's now-resting form, "You helped Jubilee. Thank you for that." 

Stepping closer, Bulma looked down upon him, smiling slightly, "Hmm..." 

"What?" 

"Well, nothing..." She began, raising her hands to his shoulders, "It's just...you're about the same height as my husband." 

"Yeah?" Logan said, "You like your men short?" 

"Short and stubborn," She inhaled, her chest barely touching his. 

"I'm short with a shorter temper," Logan said, shoving her away gently, "And not once to be messed with." 

"Those are the best kind," She whispered, and stepped forward towards him once more. 

"Listen, Lady, I don't know what your game is, but..." 

He paused, hearing the door open and click shut, footfalls on the carpeted floor. 

"What's going on?! Bulma?!" 

Bulma turned, her face red as if she had just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar and smiled nervously at...

"V-Vegeta! Sweetheart, I didn't hear you come in..." She stammered, now standing as far from Logan as she could. 

"Obviously." Vegeta said under his breath, glaring at Logan, "Who are you and why did you just have your hands all over my woman?" 

"Hey, listen here, Bub..." Logan began, holding his hands up in a gesture of peace, "I don't know what you think you saw, but..." 

Running over to him, Bulma threw herself in front of her husband, "Now, now, Veggie, Don't do anything you might regret later..." 

"Out of my way, woman!" Vegeta shoved Bulma to the side, she landed on the ground...hard. Logan looked from her to Vegeta, a growl forming in his throat, animalistic and unmerciful. 

"You oughta be more kind to your woman, _Veggie_," Logan said, lunging himself towards the other man, who ducked and came up with a series of kicks to Logan's midsection. Gasping and falling backwards, Logan glanced at Jean, whose face was contorted in pain as she felt what was happening around her. Without another word, he stood up and brushed past Vegeta, heading outside. 

"Vegeta, no!" Bulma cried, trying to grab his foot to stop him from following the stranger outside to finish what had been started, "Please, don't fight!" 

Ignoring her, Vegeta followed Logan outside, a smile of anitipation on his lips. His smile was reflected within the metal claws protruding from the backs of Logan's hands, and in his opponite's eyes. 

"They call me Wolverine, Bub," Logan began, going at once into a fighting stance, resheathing his claws, he didn't think he'd be needing them, "I've been achin' fer a good scrap ever since we came to this god fersaken' place!" 

Vegeta dropped down low as well, smiling coldly, "Then give me you best shot..._Wolverine_..." 

Logan allowed Vegeta to get in the first series of punches and kicks, hardly blocking at all, much to Vegeta's pleaure. Breathing heavily, he paused and looked as the bruises and cuts upon Wolverine's face began to heal and close up. He was almost postive there was some internal bleeding due to his feirce attack and was waiting for him to keel over. Instead, Wolverine surprised him by standing up and grinning at him. 

"One other thing," Logan said, "I have a healing factor and bones laced with an unbreakable substance known as adamantium." 


	8. Battle Plans

"Is that so?" Vegeta asked, with a smirk, power building up around him; "Well, let me introduce you to something called a Spi..." 

Suddenly, Goku lunged in front of Vegeta, knocking him off his feet, "Wait! Vegeta! No!" 

"Get off me, Kakkarott!" Vegeta shoved his arch-rival away and got to his feet. Wolverine merely looked annoyed and anxious to fight. 

"Well, what are we standing around for, Bub?" He asked, "I haven't even broken a sweat..." 

"Vegeta! Wolverine!" Goku gasped, "Knock it off!" 

Suddenly, Vegeta and Wolverine looked at each other than over at Goku, both wearing the same look as they advanced on the other saiyan. 

"Now, wait a minute here..." Goku started, hands spread in a gesture of helplessness, though he was by no means helpless, "I don't think this is the right time..." 

"Get him!" Logan yelled as both he and Vegeta jumped on Goku, starting another round of sparring with three people instead of just two. 

On the sidelines, both Bulma and Chi Chi sighed and shook their heads. Jubilee wandered over to watch and was amazed at the sheer strength she saw in both Vegeta and Goku, the speed and agility as well. 

She was, at first, afraid for Wolverine, but after he'd gotten up for the fifteenth time with healing wounds and jumped back into the fray, (Goku and Vegeta were good sports, keeping it all on the ground for once), she turned her attention elsewhere, knowing that Logan could take care of himself. 

"Are you feeling better, Julibee?" The boy who was close to her own age, Gohan, asked, coming up behind her. She turned and smiled, dark hair falling into her eyes. 

"Much." She smiled, "Your mother's great, you know. She hardly left my side. And from what they tell me, neither did Bulma." 

Gohan smiled, shoving his glasses up further upon his face, "Yep, Mom's like that. She knows how to take care of people. Just look at Dad and me!" 

The dark-haired girl she'd been introduced earlier to as Videl, came over and snaked her arm possessively through Gohan's. He flushed and tried to shrug her off. Jubilee blinked and raised her eyebrows at them. 

"Hiya, Jubilee!" Videl said, smiling, "I see you and my _boyfriend_ are getting to know each other." 

Jubilee would have had to be blind and deaf not to catch the emphasis she put upon that single word; boyfriend. 

"Uh, Videl..." Gohan said, "Why don't you go help Mom in the kitchen with dinner..." 

"But..." 

"Please, hon?" 

"Oh, okay!" Videl seemed not to be able to resist those baby browns. Jubilee covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hold in her giggles. 

"Sorry about that," Gohan said, blushing red beneath his eyes, once Videl had gone, "She gets a little possessive around other girls." 

"She doesn't have to worry about me." Jubilee said, walking away, snapping a colorful display of light over her shoulder, "Though, _girlfriend_ better check her attitude at the door." 

Off in the distance, Piccolo looked anxious. Flying over to him, Rogue looked around, a slight tingling sensation coursing along her skin. "Do you feel that?" He asked, without looking at her. 

"Yeah," She whispered, the air felt heavy, oppressive; "Like the calm 'for a storm..." 

"I've seen something...someone...in my meditations since you have arrived..." He tried to explain. She nodded and he explained what he'd seen. Gasping she nearly fell from the sky. 

"Magneto!" 

"Who?" 

Without answering Rogue flew back down and landed with a heavy thud upon the ground. She ran back inside to find Gambit leading Jean to the sofa. The woman's hair was hanging in her eyes and when she looked up at Rogue's entry her face was a pale as a sheet of typing paper. 

"Jean? Ah...ah felt..." Rogue gasped, recognizing the look in the other woman's eyes, "Is he here?" 

Jean shook her head. "No, not yet," She said, her voice soft, "But he will be. Soon." 

"What are you morons babbling about?" Vegeta had sauntered into the room, followed by Goku and Logan, each of them drenched with sweat and dirty. Logan wiped his face on his tee-shirt and drew his thick brows together as he listened. 

"He can't come here!" Jubilee cried, "I'm assuming we're all talking about the same guy, right? Cause I can feel something weird and it has _his _name all over it!" 

"We can all feel it, Sugah," Rogue said, touching Jubilee's dark hair, "This strange place must be making us more sensitive than normal." 

"Magneto..." Storm said, almost to herself, static lightning crackling around her clenched fists, "First he tries to take over _our _world and now wants to come _here_. I won't allow these good people to harmed!" 

"I wish Scott were here." Jean was saying. She missed her husband dearly and he always knew what to do in every situation. Or, at least, it always seemed that way. But, after a moment's hesitation she shook her head and rose to her feet, looking at each and every one of them with hard jade-green eyes. 

"We must prepare." She said. 

****


End file.
